Photo of the Week: the Dazzling Colours of Sunset, The Maldives

As the waves of the Indian Ocean gently lap at your feet and the beach's slowly cooling sands, the sun’s last rays of the day paint the sky with a beautiful range of colours and tones.

Photo of the Week: Mt Yasur Eruption, Tanna Island, Vanuatu

Mt Yasur is the most accessible live volcano in the world, with eruptions every five to ten minutes. The 15-minute trek to the crater increases the prospects of a shortened life, but that’s why thousands make it.

Photo of the Week: Beautiful Waters of the Bocas Islands, Panama

There is a unique vibe about the Bocas del Toro archipelago in far west Panama, the true gateway to the country for overlanders from Costa Rice. It's a bohemian calypso feel that even the hardest at heart will enjoy.

Photo of the Week: The Church of Tisco, Arequipa, Peru

Tisco is one of the highest settlements in Peru's Colca Valley. This church, built before the 18th-century expulsion of Dominican monks Its geographical location, is distinguished by its red décor, made with ochre.

Photo of the Week: Cheetahs Posing, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Two cheetahs standing ready and vigilant in the rays of another remarkable day at the Selous Game Reserve, the largest ‘unscathed’ game reserve in Tanzania and a UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site.

Photo of the Week: Boats Bob in the Waters of Melissani Lake, Kefalonia, Greece

Melissani Lake is a pool of still water in a natural cave. Given the breathtaking beauty of the caves, they have always been an ideal site for rites associated with the divine.

Photo of the Week: Fire-Knife Dancing in Samoa

Siva Afi, or fire-knife dancing, is one of the most exhilarating aspects of Samoan festivities. Although a traditional pre-war ritual that was used to psych up Samoan warrior, it is today a demonstration of agility.

Gatherings of thinkers, transfers of skills, the sharing of best practices and the cross-promotion of ongoing efforts to understand and reverse the damaging impacts of travel must continue, especially in the face of powerful headwinds.

The Travel Word applauds the New York Travel Festival, which, like more and more other major travel shows, is embracing the value of travel that is as much about the visitor as it is the host. Here is an overview of the 2014 NY Trav Fest, as well as a list of its panels focusing on travel with a conscience.

This week, from February 10 to 16, 2014, is Responsible Travel Week, the sixth annual online unconference focusing on responsible travel. It’s free to take part, and there’s no jet lag, as all events occur online and around the world through local events organized by participants. Look for (and use!) the #rtweek14 hashtag.

Deep within the depths of rural Britain, communities are stirring. Shabby but iconic telephone boxes are being reclaimed, shuttered shops are being repurposed and visitors welcomed in with open arms. And it all has to do with community tourism, a proven way to rehabilitate local infrastructure and bolster local economies.

Next week, The Travel Word once again honors the place of indigenous people in tourism by taking part in the third annual Indigenous Peoples Week. This year, the goal continues to be to raise awareness of indigenous tourism options for travelers and to improve digital literacy skills among the indigenous tourism providers themselves.

Today is Earth Day, the annual global event held to highlight environmental issues and demonstrate support for environmental protection. As with all periods of transition, we need to start with small steps. But how long will it take for more and more people to wake up to what it means to to be “green” all year round?

On April 20 and 21, 2013, the New York Travel Festival casts its inaugural spell on the New York metropolitan area. Conceived of and given shape as something more inspiring and more anchored in place than the typical travel event, it aims “to reinvent the consumer travel show.”

Tak Bat or morning alms is a living Buddhist tradition in Laos that has become a tourist attraction on the must-see/do list of Luang Prabang. It is indeed a beautiful sight. But over the years, as more and more travellers discover Laos, the Buddhist tradition has turned into a spectacle of disruptive, disrespectful tourists who act like they’re on the It’s a Small World Disneyland ride full of animatronic dolls in bright ethnic costumes.